Monday, August 24, 2009

Because They Failed to Take Away Our Guns...

It's called the Ammunition Accountability Act (AAA). You've got to love the name. It sounds so noble. But remember the great gun writer, Mel Tappan's, universal rule of law: "The nobler the language, the more nefarious the purpose of any legal instrument."

It's been proposed in 18 states and, with some minor difference among them, here's what it will do once enacted:

Each box of ammo you buy will have a unique number.

Each round in the box will have a laser-etched number on the base of the bullet and on the inside of the cartridge case that corresponds to the number on the box.

Each time you buy ammo you will have to show ID with your name, date of birth, driver's license, etc., to be recorded so the box will be tied to you.

There will be a 5¢ tax on each and every round in the box. This "tax" will be to support the database.

You will have to maintain records if you give or sell ammo to relatives or friends. (And the above tax would be levied on each round, again, to maintain the database.)

Anywhere from four months to three years after such bills are enacted, depending on the state, it will be illegal to own any uncoded ammo. There will be civil and criminal penalties if you possess any with fines of anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 for each instance of violation. Ostensibly, this will mean $1,000 to $5,000 per round. Forgot you got an old box of .22 ammo on the back shelf of the closet? And the well-meaning but snoopy babysitter finds it...and turns you in...

You're going to have to dump it or shoot it all up. And you'll get no compensation for any of the old ammo you have to dispose of.

It will be illegal to reuse cartridge cases, so reloading will not be an option, and you're a criminal if you do.

What's AAA's intent? Ostensibly, crimes committed with a round of the imprinted ammo will be traceable back to the owner and crimes are solved just like that. But criminals already circumvent laws and have access to guns, drugs, and anything else we've tried to outlaw. If you think they won't be able to get untraceable ammo, think again. This law will create a black market for stolen and untraceable ammunition. The only people who are going to obey these Orwellian laws are...you and me. Not surprisingly, most of those in law enforcement do not support this bizarre law.